schneider



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

H. SCHNEIDER.

GUN MOUNTING HAVING A DISAPPEARING ACTION. No. 407,418. Patented July 23, 1889.

A @EMM www@ /l .No Moda.) 2 sheetssheet 2@ H. SCHNEIDER.

n GUN MOUNTING HAVING A DISAPPEARING ACTION. No. 407,418. Patented July 23, 1889.

I "III" *INN III 'III UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRI SCHNEIDER, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

GUN-MOUNTING HAVING A DISAPPEARING ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,418, dated July 23, 1889.

Application filed .l'nly 21, 1887. Serial No. 244,960. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern.:

Be it known that I, HENRI SCHNEIDER, residing in Paris, France, manager of the firm of Schneider & Co., of Le Creuzot, (Sane-et- Loire,) and a citizen of the Republic of France, have invented certain Improvements in Gun-Mountings Having a Disappearing Action, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gun-mountings having a disappearing action, with a movement in a vertical direction, and in which the weight of the gun and its mount-ingis always balanced by an opposing force. lVith this object the gun and its carriage or mounting are placed upon a plunger or buoyant body immersed in a suitable liquid, such as water contained in a well or pit. The volume or buoyancy of the plunger is so calculated that the displacement produces an upward thrust counterbalancing the weight of the gun and its appendages in such a manner that the power necessary to produce the movements connected with the disappearing' action simply requires to be sufficient to overcome the force of inertia and friction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a gun mounted in accordance with my invention, the gun in this view being shown as lowered. Fig. 2 is a vertical section at right angles to the view, Fig. l, and showing the gun raised.'

In a pit or well C is a buoyant plunger f, which is a closed air-vessel completely immersed in the liquid, and which supports the gun A through the medium of two pairs of rods l and l. These rods Z and Z are connected at their junction to a nut e, which is guided vertically in fixed frames d. In bearings in t-hese frames CZ is a vertical threaded screw V, to which the nut e is adapted. By turning this screw-rod, therefore, the nut will be moved vertically up or down in its guides, and thus the 0'un can be adjusted vertically in taking aim, and the mounting can be `maintained at any given angle to which it has been adjusted for firing. The screw may be operated by any suitable means, and in the drawings, Fig. l, I have shown a crank k on a shaft s, with the bevel-gearin g b to transmit motion to the upright screw. As the plunger f balances or nearly balances the weight of the gun, but little power will be needed to obtain the desired vertical adjustment for taking aim. Apart from the means for obtaining the vertical adjustment any desired limits may be provided for the recoil and for horizontal adjustment of the gun.

Itis evident thatthe form of the plunger f, the natureof the liquid in the well, the mode of connecting the adj Listing-screws vertically with the plunger and with the mounting may be modified without affecting the essential features of the invention, provided the gun mounting or carriage is carried directly by the plunger, and the latter is a closed airvessel wholly immersed in the liquid.

I am aware that it has been proposed to combine a disappearing defensive turret or shield with a tank of liquid and a closed airtight plunger Wholly immersed in the liquid and supporting the said turret or shield. My invention, however, differs from such a structure, in that I do not support any turret or shield upon my plunger, but only mount the gun itself directly upon the plunger through the medium of rods connecting the gun mounting or carriage itself with the plunger.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination of a gun and its mount; ing or carriage with awell or pitbelow it containing a liquid, a closed air-vessel immersed in the liquid, rods connecting the air-vessel with the gun mounting or carriage, and means for 'raising or lowering the gun, its mounting or carriage, and the plunger, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a gun-mounting with a well or pit below it containing a liquid, a buoyant plunger immersed in the liquid, supporting-rods connecting the plunger with the gun-mounting above it, a nut carried by the rods, and an adjust-ing-screw adapted to the nut to raise and lower the gun-mounting and plunger.

In testimonyv whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI SCHNEIDER. lVitnesses:

CHARLES BEHONG, LEON FRANCKLEN. 

